Sunday, August 23, 2015

“Anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his time. You have to write up, not down. Children are demanding. They are the most attentive, curious, eager, observant, sensitive, quick, and generally congenial readers on earth. They accept, almost without question, anything you present them with, as long as it is presented honestly, fearlessly, and clearly.”

~ E.B. White ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The GROG post HERE is great for those of us who need to cut words. That would probably be all of us.

Janice Hardy has a great post HERE on Setups — good and bad — and infodumps. It’s terrific.

Bryan Collins has a terrific post on The Wicked Writing blog with 7 Tips for Starting Your Story with a Bang. Check it out HERE.

Last week, I promised a gently-read hardback copy of Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin to one of you. This week's winner is Greg Partridge. Congratulations, Greg! If you don't know Greg, please check out his wonderful blog, Always in the Middle, HERE. Greg is a middle-grade teacher, reader, and writer and always has something interesting on his blog. Greg, I will get the book out to you this week. Worry not. I have another giveaway for you this week.It has been another all baseball weekend. Yesterday our grandson's team had one win and one (close) loss. Today they played THREE games to end up coming

up a little short in the championship game. It was really exciting the whole way, but tired I am. If you see a typo or two, please understand. In honor of all that baseball, This week I'd like to tell you about a book in Cal Ripken, Jr's All Stars series, Out at Home. This series is written by Ripken and Kevin Cowherd, a sportswriter. I reviewed one of the other books in the series, Squeeze Play, HERE. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

Mickey Labriogla may be the coach’s kid, but he has earned his spot as catcher with his solid play behind the dish. He knows how to call the game, his arm is strong and accurate, and he is tough enough to block the plate against anyone. When the Orioles, having a great season, have their pitcher go down to injury, it seems the season may be lost. But when Coach brings in a pitcher who throws hard and fast and hits his spots, it seems their prayers are answered—until the team gets a whiff of the new pitcher’s arrogance. He calls himself Zoom, insists on calling his own pitches, shows up late, and more, and Coach turns a blind eye. When the team finds itself in a championship game against Zoom’s former team, things get really interesting.

“Zoom stalked around the mound for moment, trying to compose himself. The Orioles could tell he was furious. So could the next batter for the Rays, who dug in nervously, then quickly stepped out, took a deep breath, and dug in again.”

This is the fifth book in the middle-grade series written by Cal Ripken, Jr. and

Cal Ripken, Jr.

former sports writer Kevin Cowherd. Each book stands completely on its own, focusing on a different member of the team. The writing is excellent, the story compelling, and everything about it is believable. Young baseball fans will love this as well as the rest of the series.

I have a very gently-read hardback copy for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each

Kevin Cowherd

that you do.Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.

The Editor’s Blog has a great post HERE on compound words. This is not to be missed.

Augusta Scattergood has a terrific post on setting HERE. Make sure you check out all the wonderful links on this one. It is chock full of great links.

The Write Practice has one of the best post HERE I’ve seen on Show, Don’t Tell. It’s very clear.

I know I've been gone for awhile longer than I expected. My trip east with my grandson was fine. Gehrig declared it a success as we sat in the 7th row by third base in Citizen's Bank Park and watched the Phillies wallop the Braves 12-2. It's always fun when the home team wins. Last Sunday I had every intention of posting, but Gehrig had a baseball tournament and ended up playing late for the championship and winning! It made for a long but exciting day. I was just too worn out to post. I might not be here one of the next two weekends for the same reason. Everything pretty much takes a backseat to my grandkids, as it should.I promised a hardback copy of Blue Birds by Carolyn Starr Rose last time I was here. Our winner this time is Janet Smart. Congratulations, Janet! I will get your book out this week. If you don't know Janet, she is a children's writer and blogs at Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch, (Don't you love that title?) which you can find HERE. For the rest of you, I have another give away for this post, so please keep reading.

The book I'd like to tell you about is Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin. I love this book and think it is really an important one. I hope all of you will have a chance to read it. Here is the review I wrote for the San Francisco Book Review.

When you are eleven years old and ready to start middle school, everything, absolutely everything is a big deal. But if that is your life and your mother is in prison and you don’t have a best friend, it is much worse. This is the life Ruby Danes has — her mother in prison and Ruby has a chance at a new friend, Margalit, who could become that best friend. But when Margalit tells Ruby her brother is dead, his name triggers something in Ruby. She does some research and finds something that makes it seem everything will fall apart.

“I can’t remember anything specific from before my mom went to prison. We don’t talk about my real dad, but I know my mom was really young when she had me.”

Nora Raleigh Baskin has written a really important book that speaks for a segment of our society that is badly underrepresented, but please don’t let that scare you away. This book is well-written with a compelling plot, great characters, and a message that will resonate with young people and more. While this book is marketed to upper middle-graders, it deserves a much broader audience. This story speaks to problems many young people face and may help readers be more understanding and

Nora Raleigh Baskin

compassionate. This is a touching, moving story that readers will really enjoy.

I have a very gently-read hardback copy for one of you. To win, all you need do is have a US address, be a subscriber or follower, and tell me that in a comment you leave on this post. If you are reading this in your email, click HERE to go to the blog so you can leave a comment. If you would like extra chances, please spread the word by posting the link on a Tweet, blog post, Facebook, or any other way you like. Let me know what you have done in your comment, and I will put in extra chances for you for each that you do.Don't forget to check out Shannon Messenger's wonderful blog HERE for many more Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday reviews and giveaways.

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About Me

Thanks for dropping by. I am a writer who works almost entirely on children's books, stories, poems, and articles, including two completed novels. I live in Antelope, CA, near Sacramento-- crazy hot in the summer, cold and wet in the winter, and stunning in the spring and fall. I spent many years teaching high school English and am in love with words, books, theatre, and related subjects. I regularly review children's and young adult books for the San Francisco and Manhattan Book Reviews. I would love to hear from you and what interests you. I have had work published in Highlights and High Five Magazines as well as a rhyming story in the anthology, Fifty Funny Poems for Children published in the U.K., and a memoir included in a Christmas anthology from Harlequin, A Miracle Under the Christmas Tree. Please leave a comment or question or poem.